Individual shingle



H. R. FRENCH April 7, 1931.

INDIVIDUAL SHINGLE Filed July 29, 1925 Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY B. FRENCH, OF RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE PATENT AND LICENSING CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS INDIVIDUAL SHINGLE Application filed July 29,

This invention relates to flexible asphalt roofing shingles serving as protecting or covering elements for a roof or side wall of a building, and adapted to be laid thereon in overlapping courses.

Such shingles are usually cut from a sheet comprising a foundation of fibrous material saturated or impregnated with asphalt of low melting point and coated on either or both its faces with a layer of asphalt of high melting point, in which is partially embedded on its outer or exposed face a surface layer of sand, crushed slate, granite, or'equivalent mineral material.

The objects of the present invention are chiefly to provide a prepared shingle which will permit a maximum area of roof surface to be covered with a minimum amount of material, which may be laid rapidly and accurately, which willimpart a pleasing pattern or efl'ect to the roof surface when laid, and which may be cut from a shingle-forming sheet with a minimum amount of wast- Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a shingle which is characterized by the fact that, while it is an individual shingle, it possesses the advantage incident to the usual strip shingle simulating a plurality of individual units, namely, its capability of being rapidly laid and of covering a maximum surface. The individual shingle of the present invention is of symmetrical configuration, one prominent or outstanding feature, of which is its substantially greater lengthor elongation relative to its width.

On the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 illustrates a method of cutting shingles embodying the present invention from a sheet.

Figure 2 represents in perspective view a shingle embodying the present invention.

Figure 3 represents in plan view a roof surface covered with the shingles shown in Figure 2, and illustrates the method of laying and securing the shingles to the surface.

Figure 4 illustrates a method 'of cutting a modified form of shingle embodying the present invention.

1925. Serial No. 46,701.

Figure 5 represents in perspective a shingle produced by such butting.

Figure 6 illustrates a method of laying and securing the shingles of Figure 5 to a roof surface.

Referring to the drawings, S represents a' 'sheet of indeterminate length, which comprises a base or foundation of fibrous material saturated with suitable waterproofing material such as asphalt, and coated on its outer or exposed face (or on both faces if desired) with a layer of high melting point asphalt which will not run when exposed to solar heat, in which is partially embedded a surfacing of crushed slate or equivalent material.

Between the edges f and /1 of the sheet, there are made alternately at regularly spaced intervals, by cutting mechanism or by any' other suitable instrumentality, a symmetrically reversing or zigzag cut abab, and a similar cut cdod out of phase with the first mentioned cut by a single length, the sect1 ons ab and 0d alternately converging and dlverging, and the reversal taking place at obtuse angles, sa of about 150 degrees, indicated as Z. T e ends of the sections are joined by short cross-cuts bd and a0, and near the edges 7 and fl of the sheet, r'espec tively, by the slits 0e and ae, thus producing shingles of a hexagonal configuration illustrated in Figure 2, and simultaneously therewith at the edges of the sheet a series of incomplete or edge shingles J, which I employ for a purpose hereinafter described. While I have described one method of cutting, any other suitable method may be followed in producing the shingles of the present invention from a shingle-forming sheet.

The shingle 1 shown in Figure 2 is of hexagonal configuration, its lower edges Zr, pr and upper edges m/n, no being of equal length and forming equal obtuse angles Z with each other and with its side edges ha and p0, which are of equal and relatively short length. In other words, the shingle is of a symmetrical hexagonal configuration of elongated length, the length being preferably at least twice the width. In actual practice the shingles are preferably 24 inches long and-8 inches in width, but they may be 36 inches long and correspondingly increased in width.

The shingles l are laid in overlapping courses, as indicated in Figure 3, with the edge shingles J, formed in cutting up the shingle-forming sheet, serving as starters. The starters are applied, as to a roof, with their edges 66 at the edge of the roof, and are fastened thereto by fasteners as at h. The shingles l are then laid in a superposed course, with the points 1 coinciding with the points 6 of the starters and the points on and 0 coinciding with the points d of two adjacent starters. The shingles are fastened to the roof somewhat above and adjacent the points 77 and Z, and the laying is continued, the points 1" of the shingles of the overlying or superposed courses being made to coincide with the coincident points p and Z of the underlying courses, and the points m and 0 of the overlying courses being made to coincide with the oints n of the underlying course, such laying resulting in an alinement of the edges T37 and r2 of all the courses with the corresponding edges of the superposed and underlying courses, and producing a combination and individual diamond effect or pattern. The shingles may be applied to the roof or other surface rapidly because of their self-alining characteristics and their elongated length, and produce a pleasing and novel appearance.

In. Figure 3 I have illustrated a modified method of cutting, to produce another form of shingle embodying the present invention. In this instance the sheet is out between its edges alternately at regularly spaced inter vals along the wavy, symmetrically reversing or sinusoidal line abab', and along a similar line cdc'd, out of phase with the first mentioned cut by a wave length c'd'. There are thus formed a series of ion 'tudinal strips consisting alternately of wi e and narrow portions. The narrow portions are joined at their points of minimum width by the cross slits bd and ca", producing shingles of the confi uration illustrated in Figure 2, and at the edges of the sheet the starters J.

The shingle 3 produced, shown in Figure 5, comprises, respectively, up er and lower edges mo' and Zp', having t e same wavy or sinusoidal curvature, the curves diverging to a point of maximum distance of separation at the central portion of the shingle, and converging to points of minimum distance of separation at the ends of the shingle, where both upper and lower edges are joined by the parallel, equal length and relatively short side edges m'Z and 0' 2. In other words, it is also a shingle of symmetrical configuration, and its dimensions as to length and breadth may be substantially e ual to those of the shingles first herein descri ed.

In Figure 6 I have illustrated a method of applying the shingle shown in Figure 5 to a roof. The starters J are first applied with the edge e'e' at the edge of the roof, and are fastened thereto slightly above and adjacent the points p and Z by fasteners indicated at h. The shingles 3 are then laid in a superposed course with the centers of the edges Z'p"coinciding with the points e of the starters, and the points m and 0 coinciding with the center point of the upper or curved edge of the starter, and fasteners are applied above and adjacent the points p and Z, as at h. The laying is con'mued and the shingles of the overlying courses are applied so that the center points of the edge Zp comcide with the coincident points p and l of the shingles in the course therebelow, and the points m and 0' coincide with the mid points of the upper edges mo' of the shingles in the course therebelow. Such laying produces a novel pattern or efi'ect on the roof, consisting of tangential, sinusoidal or-wavy lines, the combination effect resembling chicken wire in configuration.

While I have employed the relative terms upper and lower in the specification, it is obvious that this was by the way of convenience in description only, and that since the shingles of this invention are symmetrical, they may be inverted in their application to a roof or other surface.

Before concluding, in order to give a more comprehensive understanding of the resent invention and the results achieved thereby, it may be of advantage to supplement the foregoing by a specific instance. For example, assuming the sheet S to be 72 inches in Width and the symmetrical hexagonal shingle produced therefrom to be 24 inches in length .alon its longitudinal median line, 8 inches in widt along its transverse median line, and 2 inches in width alon its side edges, and following the method 0 layin illustrated in Figure 3, a 2-inch overlap of the up or edges of the shinglewas indicated by t e crosshatched shingle portion in Figure 2is obtained and a square (100 square feet of root surface) is covered by 167 square feet of material. Including the starters, 174 square feet of material is necessary to manufacture one square of the shingles, or in otherwords of the material goes into the starters as com pared with that goes into the shingles. The starters, however, may also be employed as regular strips or hip and ridge strips.

With the shingle illustrated in Figure 3, assuming the same dimensions as those of the hexagonal shingle, the amount of overlap as shown by the cross-hatched portion, and the roof coverage obtainable therefrom, is sub stantially equal to that of hexagonal form. I desire to have it understood, however, that the dimensions of the shingles and the results obtained in their laying are subject to considerable variation.

Having thus described certain embodiments of this invention, it should be understood to those skilled in the art that these are capable of'vario'us changes and modifications without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An elongated individual asphalt shingle, of symmetrical hexagonal configuration, adapted, with others, to be laid in overlapping courses and havin pairs of adjoining upper and lower edges orming equal obtuse angles with each other and with a pair of relatively short side edges perpendicular to the longitudinal median line of the shingle.

2. An elongated individual asphalt shingle of symmetrlcal hexagonal configuration, adapted, with others, to be laid in overlapping courses and. havin pairs of adjoining upper and lower edges 0 equal length, forming obtuse angles of about degrees with each other, and forming equal angles with a pair of relatively short side edges.

3. An individual fiat asphalt shingle of symmetrical configuration adapted with others to be laid in overlapping courses, said shingle having relatively short vertical'sid e edges and relatively long upper 'and lower edges diverging from said side edges to points of maximum separation on the vertical axis of the shingle, the horizontal axis of the shingle being at least twice the length of the vertical axis.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my sig-= nature.

HENRY R. FRENCH. 

